Ford in the Press – Week 22

Related Materials

Europe

Body.

B-MAX’s superb sales results, 1.0-litre EcoBoost winning International Engine of The Year 2013, Fiesta ST’s class-leading driving dynamics, and an increase in Kuga production are just some of the big Ford stories featured in this week’s European media…

Justauto.com (Europe) reports on B-MAX sales results; “Ford's B-Max - with rear side sliding doors - was the best-selling small 'multi-activity vehicle' in Europe in the first quarter of 2013, according to the automaker's analysis of Polk registration data. The car took a 15.3% share of small multi-activity vehicle sales in Europe for the first three months of the year. In that quarter, 18,500 units were sold in the automaker's 'traditional' 19 European markets. Production started in Romania in mid-2012. The model outsold rival Citroen C3 Picasso, Fiat 500L, Honda Jazz and Opel/Vauxhall Meriva offerings in the first quarter of 2013. Over half of European customers bought premium Titanium versions; 75% specified the voice-activated, in-car connectivity system and 42% chose the one-litre I3 EcoBoost petrol engine.”

Car Magazine (UK) compares Fiesta ST with Renault Clio R.S, Cup and Peugeot 208 GTi. Its verdict: “It’s a tough call, but one you needn’t fret over. The joyously brilliant Fiesta ST sees to that. The cheapest car in the test is also the best to listen to, delivers the sort of interaction through its wonderful manual gearbox that the Renault can’t match, and has a chassis that melds the best qualities of both rivals. Drive a truly great hot hatch and you wonder whether you really need anything bigger, whether you’d be having more fun in something more powerful, or rear-wheel drive.”

Elsewhere, Motor Sport (France) rates Fiesta ST alongside Abarth Punto Evo Supersport, Peugeot 208 GTi and Renault Clio R.S. Cup: “With an overall score of 17 out of 20 points, the Fiesta ST was the winner of the comparison. It defeated its rivals in three out of four categories: Engine / Transmission, Road Handling and Track Driving. The Clio R.S. and 208 GTI tied for second place with 15 points, and the latter prevailed in the Performance category. The Punto Supersport followed with 13 points.”

Auto Express Online (UK) is one of several websites and magazine trumpeting the success of Ford’s 1.0-litre EcoBoost in the 2013 International Engine of the Year Awards: “The small but powerful Ford 1.0 EcoBoost engine has retained its crown at the 2013 International Engine of the Year Awards. The three-cylinder engine, which is currently fitted to the Focus, Fiesta, B-MAX, C-MAX and Grand C-MAX was picked by a panel of 87 automotive journalists from 35 countries around the world, and achieved the highest overall score in the 15-year history of the awards.”

Suv & 4x4 Fuoristrada (Italy) highlights how Ford is increasing Kuga production to meet demand: “It isn’t the kind of news that you read lately in Europe. Ford announced that it is preparing to increase production of the new Kuga to meet customer demand. For the first time, the model will have an annual sales target of more than 100,000 units. The volume increase, which involves the Valencia factory, will be close to 10%. The new Kuga is off to a strong start in Europe, where its sales grew 27% year-over-year in February. It has also been enthusiastically received in the United States, where it is marketed as the Escape: its sales rose 28% in February and around 25% in the first quarter of 2013. The Kuga is the only SUV in Ford of Europe’s current product line, but it will soon be joined by the smaller EcoSport (by the end of the year) and larger Edge. Ford aims to sell one million SUVs on our continent in the next six years. The brand estimates that this category will account for 10% of all Fords sold in Europe by 2016.”

Ford Motor Company's premier wiki...holding all the links your fellow
employees thought were important for you to reference. Add more
links to the index, edit existing links that you see may have an error,
and delete old links that no longer are accessible.